Postdoc Jobs at SMD

Postdoctoral fellow positions are available immediately for outstanding and highly motivated candidates in the broad areas of host-pathogen interactions, T cell immunology, osteoimmunology, and musculoskeletal diseases.

The Muthukrishnan Laboratory studies how immune responses shape the outcome of chronic bacterial infections in bone and orthopaedic tissues. Our NIH funded research program focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate immune dysfunction, bacterial persistence, tissue damage, and repair during musculoskeletal infection. A major emphasis of the laboratory is to understand how T cells, innate immune cells, inflammatory cytokines, and immune checkpoint pathways influence host defense and disease outcome, with the long term goal of developing new immunological approaches to diagnose, prevent, and treat chronic orthopaedic infections.

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This position involves developing and applying statistical models to analyze large-scale bulk RNA-seq data from public repositories such as TCGA. The student will focus on building approaches to improve false discovery rate (FDR) control in differential expression and related genomic analyses, using BlueHive or similar research computing resources.

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A postdoctoral fellow position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Chike Cao at the University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, New York starting in May 2026 or soon thereafter. The Cao lab is located in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research (CMSR) and the Department of Orthopaedics, a collaborative and highly interactive research environment dedicated to advancing musculoskeletal science and improving patient care.

Highly motivated individuals with interests in musculoskeletal development, disease, and repair, and mouse models are encouraged to apply. Candidates with research experience in cell biology, developmental biology, and animal models are preferred. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. degree or equivalent.

The position will remain open until filled. Please send a cover letter describing your research background, interests, and career goals, along with a CV and the names and contact information of three references in a single PDF file to Dr. Chike Cao at chike_cao@urmc.rochester.edu.

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The University of Rochester seeks a post-doctoral scholar to collaborate full-time on research examining how bacterial metabolites modulate tumor growth and the tumor immune microenvironment. Ongoing work in the lab focuses on short chain fatty acids, vitamin K metabolites, and other dietary compounds. The overall goal of this project is to identify microbial and host mechanisms that drive alterations in tumor biology using immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in syngeneic or endogenous murine tumor models. The ideal candidate will have prior experience with murine tumor models, tumor immunology, and/or mucosal biology. Relevant technical skills include tumor inoculation, intraperitoneal and intravenous injections, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, bacterial culture and growth curves, and/or microbiome characterization. This is a one-year position from the date of hire, with anticipated start date in Fall or Winter 2026. Subject to funding availability, performance, and mutual agreement, it has the possibility to be extended to a second year.

Work location: On campus in Rochester, NY.

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Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Aging (Postdoctoral Position in Health Economics and Policy)
The University of Rochester: seeks a post-doctoral scholar to collaborate full-time on research examining post-acute and long-term care capacity and their impacts on older adults’ health and the operation of the broader health care system under the mentorship of Prof. Brian McGarry. The post-doctoral scholar will contribute to empirical projects examining the impacts of skilled nursing facility capacity on care access, health outcomes, and the flow of patients through upstream health systems, including hospitals.
 
This is a one-year position from the date of hire, with anticipated start date in Summer or Fall 2026. Subject to funding availability, performance, and mutual agreement, it has the possibility to be extended to a second-year. 

Work location: Location is flexible with options for on-campus, remote, and hybrid. In person days on campus in Rochester, NY may be requested with advanced notice as needed for collaboration, meetings, and workshops.

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Department: Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics: We are seeking highly motivated and talented post-doctoral scientists to join our team and investigate the mechanisms by which Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) manipulates cellular processes to facilitate infection. Our laboratory is located in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics in University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. 
Projects will explore the mechanisms through which specific viral gene products: 1) modulate histone acetyl-transferase activities to regulate cellular gene expression; 2) target cellular metabolism to support infection; and 3) attenuate anti-viral signal transduction.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and execute experiments to investigate HCMV-host interactions.

• Utilize a range of cutting-edge techniques, including:

o Metabolomics, proteomics, and RNA sequencing to profile cellular changes during infection.

• Chromatin profiling: Techniques such as Cut&Run and Cut&Tag to analyze epigenetic modifications and gene regulation.

• Present research findings at lab meetings, institutional seminars, and national/international conferences.

• Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

• Mentor junior lab members and contribute to a collaborative research environment.

Qualifications:

Ph.D. in Virology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, or a related field.

Demonstrated expertise in molecular and cellular biology techniques.

Experience with 'omics' technologies (metabolomics, proteomics) or chromatin profiling (Cut&Run, Cut&Tag) is a significant advantage.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.

A strong publication record commensurate with experience.

To Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter outlining their research interests and career goals, a curriculum vitae, and contact information for three professional references to Joshua_munger@urmc.rochester.edu.

An opening is available for a postdoctoral associate in computational biology, beginning as soon as possible. The position will focus on the development of new bioinformatic descriptors of protein sequences and structures. This work will be conducted in collaboration with colleagues at Sanofi and is expected to have significant pharmaceutical applications.

Highly motivated candidates with a background in computational biology, or those interested in becoming proficient in the field, are encouraged to apply. Applicants with backgrounds in physics, chemistry, or biology are also welcome. The research incorporates statistics, signal processing, information theory, machine learning, and artificial intelligence tools.

Interested candidates should contact Prof. Shalom Rackovsky at shalom_rackovsky@urmc.rochester.edu

UR Primary Care Research Fellowship Available

The Division of General Pediatrics is accepting applications for its UR Primary Care Research Fellowship Program, a 2-year postdoctoral research fellowship designed for individuals holding doctoral degrees in health professions, including MD/DOs, PhDs, PsyDs and others. Funded by a T32 grant from NRSA/HRSA, the program emphasizes training in research, population health, leadership, and career development with an emphasis on reducing healthcare gaps. The fellowship supports postdoctoral healthcare professionals aiming to build careers in biomedical and behavioral health research related to primary care. Fellows benefit from weekly seminars covering topics such as research methodologies, healthcare gaps, leadership, education, career development and scientific writing. Many participants pursue advanced degrees, such as an MPH or MS in Clinical Investigation, while PhD fellows can access a wide range of relevant coursework. 

Eligibility requires applicants to hold a doctoral degree and be a US citizen. For more information, please contact Fellowship Director Dr. Cynthia Rand at Cynthia_Rand@urmc.rochester.edu or visit our website: UR Primary Care Fellowship.

Postdoctoral Research Position Available at Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute

A postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Dr. Kimberly Martinod in the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute is open for a researcher with experience working with laboratory models of cardiovascular disease and an interest in performing research related to the contribution of neutrophil extracellular traps to immunothrombosis and to fibrotic remodeling in the heart after injury and during aging. It is expected that the researcher will work together with PhD students and undergraduate trainees whose research intersects with these projects in a collaborative capacity. Candidates should have recently earned a Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D degree(s). Expertise in cell biology, animal models, and microscopy is required. Experience with neutrophils, flow cytometry, transcriptomics, or echocardiography will be a plus.  Interested applicants should send curriculum vitae, a brief description of research interests and career goals within a cover letter, and the contact information of three references to Dr. Kimberly Martinod at Kimberly_martinod@urmc.rochester.edu

The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

NIH-Funded Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell & Disease Modeling

The Stem Cell and Disease Modeling Laboratory at the University of Rochester is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to study retinal and neurodegenerative diseases using human pluripotent stem cells and animal models. Research focuses on disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration and lysosomal storage disorders.

Applicants must hold a PhD in a biological science and have experience in stem cell culture, molecular biology techniques, and retinal biology. Experience with CRISPR, animal models, and data science is desirable.

NIH-funded position with salary based on NIH and University of Rochester guidelines.

Apply by submitting a cover letter, CV, and three references to ruchira_singh@urmc.rochester.edu

A postdoctoral position is available in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Postdoctoral researcher positions funded by NIH are available to study synaptic mechanisms underlying intellectual disability, epilepsy and early onset Parkinsonism. We use transgenic mouse models, including lines mimicking human de novo mutation. We also use lentivirus injection, in combination with (flox/+) mice or shRNA knockdown to study the effect of many human de novo mutations in protein phosphatases on synaptic functions. More information on our research can be found on our website: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/Xia-Lab.aspx. 

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A post-doctoral position is available at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in the Spectrum Brain Lab, led by Dr. Emily Knight. 

The position will focus on sensory neurophysiology and attention in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related conditions. Research in the lab integrates electroencephalography (EEG), psychophysics, and novel technologies such as virtual reality to study how children and adults process sensory information in naturalistic environments.

The Spectrum Brain Lab offers a collaborative and interdisciplinary training environment at the intersection of neuroscience, engineering, and clinical research. Postdoctoral researchers will have opportunities to develop independent research projects, gain expertise in advanced data analysis, and engage in career development activities across the URMC neuroscience and autism research communities.

Contact: Interested applicants should submit (1) a cover letter, (2) a brief statement of research interests, (3) a complete curriculum vitae, and (4) contact information for three references to Dr. Emily Knight.

New post-doctoral positions are available immediately for outstanding candidates in the broad area of cancer immunology, inflammatory disease, and viral infection. 

Our NIH-funded projects study, 

(1) dynamic immune reactions using state-of-the-art bio-imaging systems including multiphoton intravital microscopy, 

(2) CRISPR genomic screening of key cancer immune mediators, 

(3) impacts of microbiomes on the innate immune memory, 

(4) single-cell analysis of T cell exhaustion, and (5) T cell immunotherapy.

Applicants should have strong practical knowledge of immunology, cell biology, and mouse disease models. Candidates with prior experience in transgenic- or knock-out/knock-in mouse models or in vivo immunology are especially encouraged to apply. A highly competitive salary and benefits package is offered. Good command of English is required. 

To apply, send a letter of application, CV and the names of three references to:

Minsoo Kim, Ph.D. 
Vice-Chair and Dean’s Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Director, Tumor Immunotherapy Research Program
University of Rochester Medical Center
601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 609
Rochester, NY 14642
Phone:  585 276 3917      FAX:  585 273 2452

Minsoo_Kim@urmc.rochester.edu

A fully funded postdoctoral research fellow position is available in the Bajaj Lab at the Wilmot Cancer Institute of the University of Rochester Medical Center, to study molecular mechanisms of leukemia stem cell interactions with their microenvironment. 

We are passionate about understanding the cancer microenvironment and its role in disease progression. We identify novel therapeutic vulnerabilities of aggressive myeloid leukemias in genetic mouse models and primary patient samples using tools such as single cell transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics.

Wilmot Cancer Institute is an NCI-designated cancer center in the Upstate New York area, specializing in multiple oncology fields, including hematological cancers. This is a great opportunity to work in close collaboration with a fantastic group of clinicians and scientists. We are looking for enthusiastic individuals with a Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Genetics or related fields, and a strong interest in translational cancer research. Prior experience with mouse work is greatly preferred.

Please submit a CV with a list of publications, a brief summary of your current and future research interests, and contact information for 3 references. Jeevisha Bajaj